Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers prepare for Falcons

SANTA CLARA — Other than his parents dealing with so much excitement in a short period of time, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh emerged from a victory over the Green Bay Packers with few major concerns.

Defensive lineman Justin Smith's left elbow and partially torn triceps tendon held up well in the 49ers victory over the Packers on Saturday night, and he appears fine for the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

"He played well," Harbaugh said. "He came out of the game (fine)."

Then again, that's about what Harbaugh expected from Smith, even though Smith missed the 49ers final two regular-season games and needed a balky brace on his left arm.

The San Francisco 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to members of the media from team headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. The 49ers will be playing in the NFC Championship game for the second year in a row when they take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. (Dan Honda/Staff)
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"He looked good in practice (last week) and the feedback that we were getting from him was positive," Harbaugh said.

As for left offensive tackle Joe Staley, Harbaugh said he hadn't spoken with Staley on Monday, so he doesn't have an update on the status of the right arm Staley injured against the Packers.

In other news, Harbaugh said David Akers is "our kicker." Billy Cundiff challenged Akers for that role the past two weeks, and he remains on the roster for now.

Harbaugh's parents watched their two sons, Jim and Baltimore Ravens coach John, coach their teams to playoff victories over the weekend, as well as seeing their son-in-law, Indiana men's basketball coach Tom Crean bring home a victory, too.

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"My parents are in their 70s, so that's a lot of excitement, that's a lot of action," Harbaugh said. "That's like going back-to-back-to-back, like three '24' episodes in a row."

San Francisco 49ers' Michael Crabtree (15) left, celebrates with Colin Kaepernick (7) after Kaepernick scored on a run in the 3rd quarter as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 45-31 in the National Football Conference western divisional championship game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)
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